Tel-quessir

"Timelessness & beauty is the conventional description by most scholars for the Tel-quessir, but I believe that as a descriptor is base and without true analysis. The Tel-quessir are varied in both matters. Some are down right ugly. Others are far less in touch with their Fey roots making them far more mortal than you'd expect. Either way it is without question that our plane as we know it is culturally connected to the story of the Tel-quessir directly if we realize it or not." - Doctor Pericles Cosmallis, Professor of Anthropology at Daefnorth, Academy Of The Arcane - "A Study of Terrestrial Biology and the Semantic Field of Cultures and their Development" - The habits, traits, habitats and biological tendencies of the races, uncommon beasts and creatures on our plane, with specific attention paid to magical and elemental abilities

The Tel-quessir, more commonly and sometimes incorrectly referred to as Elves, are a race of long-lived Fey that inhabit Elendor and its various close-planes. Although incorrect factually speaking, the Tel-quessir often consider themselves as one larger culture - sharing the same languages and common history despite their drastic difference in species and sub species
Historically the Elven races were brought to Elendor from Arborea by Corellon Larthian to colonize Elendor and its adjacent Feywild and spread the Fey influence in this new mirror realm. They originally lived in relative peace in northern center of the Dostrus super continent - protecting their woodland realms from outside influence. They remained neutral during the War for the Heavens. Following the great summit, the Alliance of the Courts (The Alliance of Fey Deities) split following the decision; Creating splits within the Tel-Quessir societies and their beliefs. Some of the Tel-Quessir left with the Gods, others retired to the Feywild or Underdark and some forged realms on Elendor proper. (For more info, see The Sundering of Courts )

Tel-quessir Species & Sub-Species

There are at least three different sub-categories of Tel-quessir. Many elves were quite proud of their particular sub-race. It has been said that to insult a moon elf, call him a gray elf. To insult a sun elf, call him a moon elf.

Celestial Eladrin

Celestial Eladrin are the "greater ancestor" of the Tel-quessir. They kept their Celestial qualities by never following Corellon to the mortal plane and thus normally have more elemental or magical qualities. There were at least eight known types of celestial eladrin. They are sometimes divided into into two categories: lesser eladrin (including the coure, bralani, noviere, and shiere) and greater eladrin (including the firre, ghaele, and tulani), listed here from weakest to most powerful:

Lesser

• Coure: A sprite-like eladrin with the alternate form of a ball of light.
• Bralani:  An elf-like eladrin with the alternate form of a whirlwind of dust, snow, or sand.
• Noviere: An aquatic eladrin with the alternate form of a golden dolphin made from shimmering water.
• Shiere:  An elf-like eladrin with the alternate form of a ball of light.

Greater

• Firre: An elf-like eladrin with the alternate form of a pillar of fire.
• Ghaele: An elf-like eladrin with the alternate form of a globe of eldritch colors.
• Shiradi: A powerfully built eladrin with the alternate form of a cloud of light shards.
• Tunlani: An elf-like eladrin with the alternate form of a scintillating sphere of rainbow-colored light.

Mortal Eladrin

Mortal Eladrin, also sometimes referred to as "High Elves" are the rarer, older race of Tel-quessir. During the Sundering, most of the Eladrin left Elendor for the various "other" planes with very few remaining on Elendor. Eladrin have a number of sub-species, each with differing physical differences:

• Ar-tel-quessir: Commonly known as sun or gold elves, sun elves were highly civilized elves with a natural gift for wizardry. These Eladrin are close to the height of humans averaging at around 6ft. They have mostly Bronze skin, darker shades of hair and eye colour.
• Teu-tel-quessir: Commonly known as moon elves or silver elves. These elves tend to be the most tolerant of Human. Moon elves are where the stereotypical 'beautiful mystical elven' ideals come from. They often have pale, icy blue skin; stand at on average 5'10" and have hair of a greyscale hue. They most commonly have green eyes.
• Ruar-tel-quessir: Commonly known as star or mithril elves. These are the rarest still of the Eladrin subspecies. They look a moon elves with light skin but normally have gold, red or silver hair. they are taller on average and normally stand around 6'1". Star elves have not been seen on Elendor since the sundering.
• Fey Eladrin: Fey Eladrin are powerful Eladrin who retired to the Feywild and were changed by the wild magic that exists there. They often embody natural physical aspects, such as the ability to grow leaves. Their look is often determined by the natural season; Summer, Winter, Spring and Autumn.

Sylvian

Sy-tel-quessir or sylvan elves are considered to have two sub-races related to them.

• Or-tel-quessir: Also known as copper elves or wood elves are the most populous race of elves across Elendor and exist mostly in both The Grand Duchy of Banundum and the The Eladrin Empire's woodlands. They are shorter than their Eladrin counterparts ranging from 4'-5'10" tall. They are easily identifiable by their coppery skin and green, brown, or hazel eyes.
• Sy-tel-quessir: Also known as wild elves or green elves, who have become highly reclusive over the years - even before the sundering. They are a stealthier, more heavily built race with longer ears. These are often wrongly referred to as wood elves. They have darker skin than other elven subraces, in a range of light brown to dark brown and stand around 5'5" tall. They are commonly thought of as less intelligent than their elven brethren, due in part to their aversion to civilization.

Elves

Elves, despite being the more generalized name for the Tel-quessir are the "current" generation of Fey which descend from Eladrin or Sylvan lines. They are normally the more common subraces of Tel-quessir on Elendor and have the largest populations.

• Nu-tel-quessir: are the generalized elven subrace who have the most similarity to human completion. They're on average 5′4″‒6′0″ and are a naturally slender and athletic build. They even have a similar range of complexion to humans and have the most variety of all the sub races.
• Dru-tel-quessir: also known as dark elves, deep elves, night elves, sometimes "The Ones Who Went Below" on the surface, were a dark-skinned sub-race of elves that predominantly lived in the Underdark. They displaced from the Tel-quessir population when Lolth and the dark seldarine revolted against Corellon. They commonly stand 4 feet and 7 inches to 5 feet and 5 inches tall. They commonly have dark grey, black, obsidian skin tones and pale or white hair.
• Alu'Tel'Quessir: Aquatic or Sea Elves are a water-breathing sub-species of Elf found all across the seas of Elendor. They normally have green or blue, striped skin and are sometimes mistaken for Gith. The often have long appendages and stand around 5'-6'6". They are rarely seen on land.
• Aril-tel-quessir: The Avariel or winged folk are a vary rare race of winged elves and are one of the suspected ancestors to the Nu-tel-quessir. Because of their almost extinct status, many anthropologist struggle to categorize them. They are often seen as the "missing link" between elves and eladrin. They are more delicate than most elves due to their hollow bones. An avariel's wings were usually white, but could be black, brown, or speckled. Like Nu-tel-quessir, their skintones, heights and hair is highly varied.

Interspecies Relationships

The elven subspecies are far less capable to produce offspring between races outside of the Tel-quessir; Some believing this to be due to biological incompatibility, others to cultural stigma due to the difference in lifecycle. However obviously there are some exceptions.

• Cha'Tel'Quessir: Young elves or half-elves that are the result of a union between an elf and a human. Most half elves descend from elves that in turn descend from moon elves. They take attributes of their parents and thus are vary varied in appearance. Half-Sea Elves and Half-Drow are also fairly common. Elven half-races with species other than humans do exist but are so rare that they are without categorization, or their elven ancestory is so dominated by another races' that it is barely noticeable.  
• Fey'ri: Fey'ri are the result of Sun Elves breeding with Tanar'ri (The dominant race of Demons) in an attempt to create a stronger bloodline of Elves. Fey'ri resembled elves "the way tieflings resemble humans", but generally rejected the notion of elven resemblance as offensive. Some fey'ri had barbed tails, fangs, forked tongues, or horns, or any combination. Some had multiple sets of arms and one or more sets of wings.
• Cel'Tel'Quessir: These Celedrin are a planetouched union of the younger elven species with the more ancient eladrin races. They are essential the Elven equivalent of Aasimar and are often empowered by their bloodline. They resemble sun elves with the same golden-colored skin, but they also possessed gold eyes and flame-red hair.